Yu-Gi-Oh! Capsule Monsters
by supertinagirl6
Summary: Capsule Monsters Rewrite. When Yugi learns of his grandfather's disappearance he and his friends, with the help of Kaiba and Mokuba, travel to India in order to find him. But once, there they find them selves trapped in a deadly game of Capsule Monsters. In order to win, Yugi must gather warriors to battle the 5 champions, but can he do that when one of the Champions is his friend?
1. Chapter 1 - The Letter

Yu-Gi-Oh! Capsule Monsters

Chapter 1

It seemed like another peaceful day in Japan. Students were chatting among themselves as they traversed the hallways of Domino High. Only one student in particular had worries filling his mind. That student was a young teenage boy that went by the name of Yugi Muto. A worried sigh managed to escape his mouth with his thumb and index finger mindlessly rubbing the chain hooked to a small upside-down pyramid, known as the Millennium Puzzle, hanging from his neck. Over two weeks ago, his grandfather had left on an archaeological trip. While he understood information concerning the trip had to be kept secret, evident with how vaguely his grandfather described it, he had expected to at least get letters to keep him updated with the status of his grandfather.

The fact he hasn't received any kind of word from his grandfather seemed out of character to Yugi, and that only made him more worried. He was suddenly stirred from his thoughts by the faint golden glow of his Millennium Puzzle. With his purple eyes glancing upward, he managed to see the transparent image of the spirit Yami Yugi materialize beside him.

"Yugi, it's quite uncharacteristic to seem so quiet about your worries. Why haven't you spoken up to anyone about these worries?" the spirit asked in a stern tone that carried a hint of worry as well.

Yugi tried to force a smile on his face as he exited the school building and made his way to the front gates.

"Don't worry, Pharaoh, it's nothing to be concerned about." he tried to ensure as he ran his hand through his spiky black hair with gold and magenta streaks, "Just got a lot of things on my mind lately."

Unfortunately for the young teen, his response only earned him a stern glare with narrowed eyes from his spiritual companion.

"Yugi, with our souls connected, I can easily tell when you're trying to hide something." Yami stated with a hint of kindness hiding behind his usual stern, "We've barred our burdens to each other in the past, I don't see why we should stop now."

Yugi let out a sigh of defeat as he left the school grounds. Seeing he couldn't hide anything from his spiritual companion, he began voicing his worries concerning his grandfather. With each worry that spilled forth from his mouth, he noticed how the Pharaoh listened intently with an occasional nod. He couldn't help but slightly smile at this before continuing on. By the time he had finished voicing his worries, he had reached his grandfather's game shop. As he fished for the door keys out of his pocket, he managed to catch the sight of something from the corner of his eye.

Turning his head he managed to notice an envelope sticking out of the mail slot. Without any seconds thoughts, he pulled the envelope out of the slot and allowed his eyes to scan over the written text. Once he did this, his breath hitched and his eyes widened. The letter was addressed to himself and was sent from India. He was able to recall the country as one of the very few facts he could glean from his grandfather's vague explanation. With trembling fingers, he opened up the envelope. His heart pounded nervously as he read the contents of the letter, barely acknowledging the pharaoh's presence as he leaned over his shoulder to read the letter as well.

Within seconds, they learned the letter was sent by a man named Alex Brisbane who had been accompanying Yugi's grandfather on the secret expedition. Unfortunately, according to the letter, during the expedition Yugi's grandfather had disappeared without a trace, leaving Dr. Brisbane with no choice but to inform the man's closet of kin. Yugi's hands trembled as his fingers curled tightly around the letter. Learning that his fears and worries for the old man's silence were indeed warranted saddened and terrified him.

He was nearly on the verge of tears till he heard a voice softly call out his name. Glancing over his shoulder, he noticed the Pharaoh's worried gaze focused on him. While not related, the spirit felt as deeply concerned as his companion, not only because of their souls being linked, but also because he also came to see the elderly man as family. A few sniffles managed to escape the young teen before he quickly wiped away his tears with the sleeve of his blue school uniform with a determined look in his eyes.

"Students will be going on break soon. I can use this chance to get ready and go to India to find grandpa!" he stated.

Yami simply hummed in agreement. Even if he ended up against the idea, the ancient spirit knew it was pointless to argue with his partner. Over the months spent bonded to his soul, he came to learn how stubborn and determined the teenage boy was. He couldn't help but admire it, especially since it reminded him of his own mindset.

Over the next few days, Yugi waited anxiously for his break to arrive, packing up anything he believed he would need and gathering his money he would need for the trip. He was unsure how long the trip would take, but he hoped to find his grandfather a soon as possible. Finally his anxiety filled days came to an end with the day of departure having finally arrived. The young teen grunted as he carried his heavy backpack down the stairs, and his attire now consisting of a dark blue jacket, dark gray pants, black shoes, along with his traditional black tank top and collar.

He only took a step outside of the game shop when he heard people calling his name. He bit his lip in worry when he saw his friends Joey, Tristan, and Tea all running toward him wearing casual clothes and carrying full backpacks. Before school had ended, he had informed his friends of his plan to go to India, knowing he couldn't keep it secret from them. But despite telling them, he didn't wish for them to accompany him on the journey out of worry that they would be endangered by whatever caused his grandfather to go missing.

"Hey Yug, you didn't think we would let ya head off on your own did ya?" Joey smirked, sporting his usual Brooklyn accent.

"No, but I was hoping you guys would." Yugi confessed as he rubbed his arm, "I still have no idea what caused grandpa to go missing in the first place. If it's dangerous, I'd rather not drag you guys into trouble with me."

"Yugi, we've been through so much worse at this rate. We are talking to the guy who now houses an ancient spirit within him. Besides, if you were to go missing, none of us would forgive ourselves. We're friends, so we stick together through thick and thin." Tea insured with a smile.

The tri-colored haired teen pursed his lips in thought. He could sense his spiritual companion try to urge him just to give up, considering their friends were just as stubborn as him at times. An exasperated sigh managed to escape the young teen's mouth.

"Guys, even if you wanted to come with me, you can't. I managed to gather enough money to pay for one plane ticket. Unless you guys have been saving up, then I will have to go alone." he stated.

"Oh don't worry about that." Joey pointed out with a wink, "I called in a favor and all it will cost you is one card game duel after this is all over."

The instance he heard the word "card game" uttered from the blonde's mouth, Yugi knew exactly who his friend was referring to.

Later that day, Kaiba sighed in frustration as he tapped his fingers against his arm, dressed in a black zip up vest with a long tail, a blue sweater, and black jeans with a pair of brown boots. It deeply annoyed him to have Joey call him without warning and insist he have them flown to India in exchange of being granted a duel with Yugi. He didn't see any reason why he needed the teen's permission to duel him. But nonetheless, he accepted the terms. After all, by accepting the deal and honoring it, that meant Yugi would have no reason to back out. With the young teen forced to duel him, the CEO had hope that one duel would be the one he needed to final prove himself worthy of the champion title.

His sharp blue eyes sharply glanced at the four approaching teens. His patience on waiting for their arrival had grown thin long ago. All he wanted to do was have them flown to India, Yugi find his grandfather, and then finally move on to the more important part of the deal. He grunted as he unfolded his arms and left them hanging at his sides.

"You know for some silly rescue mission, you four sure love wasting valuable time getting here. I was almost tempted to just leave and call the whole deal off." he commented in a cold tone.

"Nyeh, we both know you wouldn't have. What with your inflated ego and all." Joey snickered, earning a glare from the brunette.

Kaiba did not respond. Instead he simply grunted in annoyance before climbing aboard his private jet.  
A small smile managed to form on Yugi's face as he boarded the jet with his friends. While apart of him was still worried about the unknown dangers that would lie ahead, the other part of him couldn't help but be thankful for his friends. Heck, even Kaiba managed to come to him in times of need even though they were more of rivals than friends. Whenever he was in trouble, his friends would be by his side to lend him their strength. These thoughts filled his mind as the jet took off and began its journey for India.

Hours passed by, leaving Yugi to nervously drum his fingers on the arm of his seat. Anxiety plagued his mind as he bit his lip, causing him to feel like the trip to India was taking ages. In an attempt to distract himself, he allowed his eyes to roam around the jet. He noticed Joey mindlessly shuffling his deck of duel monster cards while Tea and Tristan were both asleep in their seats. He couldn't see Kaiba anywhere, leaving him to guess the CEO was either busy looking over paperwork or was at the front of the jet to check up on his pilots. This left his eyes to settle on his sixth companion to accompany him on the journey, Kaiba's younger brother Mokuba.

His brow raised in interest when he noticed the dark-haired boy setting up small brown capsules on a board that looked similar to a chess board. He never recalled ever seeing the game before which deeply surprised him, especially since his grandfather's store held many assortment of games. Deciding to satisfy his curiosity, he got out of his seat and sat down across from Mokuba.

"Hey Mokuba, what exactly are you messing with? I've never seen anything like it." Yugi commented.

The dark-haired boy's gray eyes glanced upward toward his companion as he replied "This? Oh it's a game called Capsule Monsters. It's kind of like Duel Monsters, but plays more like chess. If you like, I can teach you how to play. I am after all the Champion."

The teen couldn't help but allow his eyes widen in surprise, briefly sensing shock coming from the Pharaoh as well. Of all the things he expected Mokuba to reveal, being a champion of a game he hadn't heard of till now was not one of those things. Figuring it would be foolish to pass up the opportunity presented to him, believing the game could be fun and a great time killer, he accepted the child's offer. He listened closely as the rules were explained, learning that he could choose up to five capsules and lay them out on the board in a straight line. As the explanation went on, he learned how some monsters have special moves that could be taken advantage of. The more he listened, the more he understood why Mokuba had compared it to Duel Monsters.

Before he could inquire more about the rules, he felt the jet began to descend, indicating that they would be landing in India soon. Sucking in a sharp breath, Yugi made his way back over to his seat and buckled up in preparation for the landing. Within a few minutes, the jet had touchdown upon private landing grounds purchased by the Kaiba Corporation. Having little patience, Yugi jumped out of his seat and dashed for the door. He wanted to start his long anticipated search immediately. Unfortunately, dashing to the door had resulted in him accidentally slamming into Kaiba, resulting in the two to crash to the ground.

"Ugh, sometimes I ask myself if the outcome is even worth this annoyance." the brunette grumbled as he sat up.

Joey snickered at the sight before him as he held out his hand and said "As funny as it is to see Money Bags here get knocked down a few pegs, you really shouldn't rush this, Yug. We're going to find your grandfather."

The tri-colored teen smiled bashfully as he accepted his friend's hand. His inhaled sharply as he watched Kaiba open the door before stepping out of the jet. He knew, once he stepped onto solid ground, his journey would begin. Emerging from the jet, Yugi squinted his eyes, trying to adjust to the bright light and intense heat that greeted him. From the corner of his eye, he could see his spiritual companion even taking in the new surroundings.

He was lost in the sight of the thick jungles until he heard a voice say "Ah, you must be Yugi Moto. I see you received my letter concerning Solomon."

Quickly twisting his body toward the sound of the voice, he saw a blonde-haired and pale-blue-eyed man wearing a black trench coat approaching him.

"I'm Dr. Alex Brisbane, I'm quite surprised you have come here after receiving my letter." he said as he shook the young teen's hand, "But nonetheless, I'm still very grateful for your appearance."

Yugi smiled back at the man, still grateful for the letter. But at that moment, he could sense waves of distrust wash over him. He was confused until he realized the source of distrust was coming from the pharaoh. He couldn't help but shudder a bit; the spirit's negative feelings always left him feeling strangely cold inside to the point he wanted to curl in on himself. The young teen resisted the urge when he noticed the older man giving him a look of confusion. He smiled bashfully, quickly coming up with an excuse about getting air sick. Much to his relief, the doctor seemed to buy the excuse as he finally let go of his hand.

With a slight frown, Yugi scolded mentally _"Pharaoh, remember that not everyone knows about your existence. Your feelings effect me and vice versa. If you get all moody, it's going to have a psychical effect on me."_

Yami simply narrowed his eyes as he glared at the doctor talking to Kaiba.

"I don't trust him," he finally confessed, "and based on Kaiba's face, neither does he. No one told the doctor about our arrival, so how did he know to come to meet us?"

The fifteen year-old's eyes widened in realization. He had been so worried about his grandfather, he hadn't contacted Dr. Brisbane in anyway or form. So the fact the blonde-headed man knew he would find him there was incredible suspicious. Unfortunately, as much as he hated to admit it, that man was the only link to finding his grandfather. After all, Dr. Brisbane had been the last person in contact with him before his disappearance. With this in mind, the young teen had no choice but to be wary yet trusting of the man until he found his grandfather.

It took a few minutes for everyone to get themselves prepped with bags full of supplies. Once they were all set, they wordlessly began to follow Alex.  
Joey let out a groan as he brushed away some of his bangs that were sticking to his forehead from sweat created by the intense heat. He was a bit bored until he felt a tap on his shoulder. Much to his surprise, he failed to notice that Brisbane was no longer leading the group but rather was now walking beside him.

"Pardon me, but you and everyone else here are young Yugi's friends correct?" the older man asked.

"Well yeah, we wouldn't be here to help out Yug if were weren't. Only one I really wouldn't call a friend is Kaiba over there. He's kind of more of a reluctant ally ya know." the blonde-haired teen answered with a shrug.

"Really, so in other words those two have faced each other multiple times. Interesting. So outside of Kaiba, has any of you or any of your other friends have faced Yugi in battle?" Alex continued to ask.

Joey couldn't help but raise a brow in suspicion. He slightly bit his lip as worry began to develop in the pit of his stomach. He didn't know why, but he had a bad feeling as to why the doctor was asking so many questions. Yet the man hadn't shown any signs of ulterior motives, one could chalk up his questions as curiosity. As much as the fifteen year-old wanted to convince himself of this, he couldn't help but feel the man was truly planning something. So with a bit of hesitancy, he explained how he was the only one to face Yugi in a duel out of all his friends.

He remained silent as he searched the doctor's face for any kind of reaction, anything that could hint to ulterior motives. But he couldn't find anything, much to his relief and disappointment.

"Hmm, well I must say this chat has been interesting. This discussion helped clear a few things up." the doctor began to say in a quiet tone, moving his arm as if to shake hands with the young teen.

Although still a bit cautious, Joey reached out and took the man's hand. Unfortunately, this proved to be a mistake. Before he could react, he saw an evil expression flash across the man's face as he jerked his arm toward him. Panic filled the teen as he finally noticed that during that chat, Brisbane had unknowingly led him to the far back and away from his friends. He tried to call out to them, but suddenly felt something clamp around his wrist. Joey couldn't prevent the hiss of pain escape his mouth; his wrist felt like it was on fire.

He only had a moment to glance down to see a strange, large black bracelet with red gems clamped around his wrist. At first he wanted to demand what the doctor slapped onto his wrist, but suddenly he felt his thoughts begin to slip away. All emotion faded from the blonde teen's face with his brown eyes flickering red briefly.

"You'll forget this encounter between us happened. Once our Commanders have been chosen you are to come with me. Understand, Champion?" Alex commanded.

Joey didn't speak, instead he numbly nodded his head in response.

"Excellent. Now rejoin your friends before they get suspicious of your absence." the man gave his final command in a stern tone.

He watched as the teen nodded once more before dashing over to his friends, grinning slightly when he saw the expression of confusion painted on his face upon having no memory of their chat. Everything was falling into place for him. He had chosen his final piece, now all he needed was to await for the choosing of the Commanders and then the game would truly begin.


	2. Chapter 2 - Let the Games Begin

Chapter 2

Yugi's mind was filled with questions as he and companions continued to traverse the thick and hot jungles of India. He couldn't get the Pharaoh's warning out of his head. He knew the spirit was right to be suspicious of the doctor, leaving him to wonder what the man could want. For a few brief moments, the possibility crossed his mind of Brisbane being responsible for his grandfather's disappearance. He quickly shoved this thought to the side, believing he couldn't jump to any conclusions until he had more information.

The young teen sighed as his purple eyes roamed the jungle, occasionally glancing at his friends. He was about to return to his thoughts until his sights settled on Joey. His brows furrowed when he immediately took notice of the black bracelet with red gems secured tightly around the blonde's wrist. He didn't recall ever spotting the bracelet on his friend's wrist until now. He bit his lip in worry, remaining silent; the bracelet's mysterious appearance only causing him concern.

He was about to open his mouth to confirm his fears, but found himself interrupted by Dr. Brisbane announcing "We have arrived."

A small gasp managed to escape Yugi's mouth when he was greeted with the sight of large pyramid; an unusual sight for India.

"This is what Solomon and I were studying." Brisbane explained as he gestured his hand out toward the ancient structure, "We have reason to believe this pyramid was constructed during the reign of Alexander the Great after he conquered Egypt. It is unknown as to why the pyramid is built, but I was hoping Solomon could help me locate the answers within. Unfortunately inside is where he went missing. It is possible he could have set off an unknown trap and has been sealed away in an inescapable room."

"Then are you suggesting we all go inside to look for him?" Tea asked with a raised brow.

The doctor nodded his head before replying "Traversing in a large group will increase the likelihood of spotting any hidden traps."

Kaiba couldn't help but narrow his eyes in response. While apart of him was a little annoyed to be dragged into yet another Egyptian myth, a thing that he considered to be plaguing his life lately, he was also very wary of Alex Brisbane. He couldn't quite explain it but the man seemed too kind and far too convenient for his liking. But despite his suspicions, he decided he would allow events to play out. Though he was ready to act should the doctor try to lure them into any life threatening scenarios. So he remained silent as the group made their way to the pyramid's entrance.

The interior of the pyramid was dark with the only source of light coming from the outside world and a few lit torches. Yugi could easily sense the pharaoh's gaze as he tried to study the inscriptions on the wall. Despite having no memories of his the past, the spirit was able to read the Egyptian language with ease. The young teen let out a sigh as he allowed his hand to brush along the wall, both to calm himself and search for any signs of switches for traps. It wasn't long till he managed to spot a set of stairs leading higher up into the pyramid.

He was about to take a step toward the stairs until he noticed the Millennium Puzzle was beginning to glow softly. At first he had thought it was Yami wishing to switch places with him, but when he still felt his spiritual companion's presence within his soul, he knew this to be wrong.

"Only one thing can cause the Millennium Puzzle to react to other than my presence." Yami stated in a deep voice, showing he was now on guard, "This pyramid has to be the location of a Shadow Game. According to the inscriptions on the wall, they discuss a game of sorts with Commanders and Champions."

 _"What kind of game is that?"_ Yugi mentally replied, not wishing for Alex Brisbane to listen in on his discussion.

The ancient spirit could only sigh before replying "Unfortunately it was too dark to read the rest of of the inscriptions. But if this pyramid is a Shadow Game, then I have no doubt in my mind your grandfather has been trapped in it, most likely by the doctor himself. The only way we can free him is to play the Shadow Game ourselves. Though this will be dangerous, as is the case with all Shadow Games. Are you willing to take that risk?"

Yugi narrowed his purple eyes in determination. He was willing to risk everything to get his grandfather back, even his own soul. He lost his grandfather to a Shadow Game once before, he wasn't about to lose him to yet another. With his mind set, he called out to Brisbane, pointing out the stairway. Both the teen and the pharaoh didn't fail to notice the evil satisfied glint in the man's eyes as he approached them whilst pretending to be surprised.

"I do believe that's where I last saw Solomon. He had agreed to search the upper area of the pyramid while I searched the lower area. Perhaps we'll find clues as to where he could have disappeared to up there." the blonde-headed man pointed out.

The tri-colored teen took in deep breaths as he started traversing up the stairs. He hands nervously clenched around the straps of his backpack, easily sensing the doctor's burning gaze on him. Looking back at his friends, he noticed Joey unconsciously rubbing at the bracelet on his wrist. He didn't know why the fifteen-year old had yet to notice it; a fact that worried him deeply. He was snapped out of his thoughts when he finally reach the top of the stairs. Laying before him was a stone archway cover with ancient Egyptian writing along the symbol of the eye of Anubis at the top.

The fifteen year-old remained silent as he took a few cautious steps into the room. But once everyone had entered, without warning, the stairway was sealed off by a giant stone slab. He clenched his teeth as he ran over to his friends, feeling alongside the wall to find any kind of way to move the slab. From the corner of his eye, he could see Kaiba doing the same as well with the look of frustration on his face. After a few seconds of searching, the young teen let out an accepting sigh. Even if second thoughts had crossed his mind, he could see there was no turning back.

"Guys, something's happening!" Mokuba explained.

Turning around, everyone could now see the archway was now glowing, with the eye of Anubis shining brightly. Slowly but surely, in the center of the arc, everyone saw a swirl of blue energy opening up, almost as if it were a gateway to another world. Suddenly, within an instant, the symbol of Anubis let off a blinding light.  
Yugi gasped as he witness two beams of light shot out from the symbol, heading straight toward him. Holding his breath to will himself to remain still, the beam hit his arm, materializing a large gold gauntlet with purple gems.

"What is th-" he began to ask until he found himself interrupted by Kaiba shouting "Mokuba, what did that thing do to you?!"

Spinning toward the two, he could see the young Kaiba brother staring in both fear and confusion at the white gauntlet with blue gems now on his right arm. At first he was puzzled by the revelation until he recalled the inscription Yami had read to him about two commanders. In that instant he realized that he and Mokuba had been selected as the commanders for the Shadow Game.

"Seto, it's doing something else now." the dark-haired boy noted in worry as his gauntlet began to glow.

Kaiba clenched his teeth. He didn't know what was going on aside for more Egyptian mysteries, but he refused to allow his brother to be dragged into it. Without hesitation, he tried to pull the gauntlet off his younger brother's arm. But the moment his hand made comment with the white metal, he felt a burning sensation around his wrist. The brunette was unable to hold back his yelp of pain whilst jerking back his hand. Upon examining his wrist for the cause of the burn, he saw a bracelet similar in appearance to that of Mokuba's gauntlet was now around his wrist.

Brisbane couldn't help but allow a thrilled smirk to form on his face. Silently he had tugged up the sleeve of his trench coat to reveal a black gauntlet with red gems on his arm. With the commanders now chosen, he could finally initiate the second part of his plan. Acting before anyone could react, he grabbed a hold of Joey by the shoulders and jerked him back toward the archway that was still glowing with energy.

"Hey, gets your hands off of me!" Joey shouted in anger.

He tried to fight against his captor, but much to his surprise, his body refused to obey and instead allowed the older man to keep pulling him toward the portal. Fortunately his shout managed to earn the attention of his friends.

"Joey!" Yugi cried out in worry, panic filling him to see his friend in the hands of the possible mastermind.

He quickly darted for Brisbane, his heart pounding with both adrenaline and panic. Yet before he could reach the two, the energy within the archway flared, filling the room with a blinding light. Yugi cried out for his friend one last time before being forced to squeeze his eyes shut due to the intensity of the light. The last thing that filled his mind was worry for his friends before his consciousness immediately slipped away.

Yugi had no idea how much time passed by since his world fell into darkness. He groaned as he began to register things one at a time. First the pain coursing throughout his body; second was the cool air brushing across his face. Shifting his hand a bit, he could feel dirt and rubble beneath his fingertips. Finally the last thing he was able to register was a worried voice constantly calling out his name. With his mind swimming in curiosity, he slowly opened his purple eyes. Much to his shock, he was greeted with a bright blue sky and trees all around him.

"Oh, thank goodness." a voice finally spoke, taking a moment to sigh before continuing, "I was unsure if you were going to awaken."

Tilting his head slightly, the fifteen year-old managed to spot his spiritual companion kneeling next to him. The teen grunted as he sat up. Taking note of his surroundings, he quickly learned he was in a large clearing of a forest. Taking a quick look around, much to his disappointment, he didn't see any sign of his friends. His eyes squeezed shut as the last image of Joey being pulled away by Brisbane flashed through his mind. Shifting his thoughts to the present matter, he forced his body up on its feet, hissing a bit when his body ached in response.

"If I'm right, I'm guessing we're now in the Shadow Game. It's certainly more different from the ones in our previous encounters." Yugi noted whilst taking one last look around.

"Either way, we should be cautious." the pharaoh advised with eyes narrowed.

The tri-colored teen nodded his head in agreement. Before he could make any plans on understanding and escaping the Shadow Game, he needed to reunite with everyone. Unsure where to go, the teen picked a random direction and began walking. Though once he started walking, he couldn't help but feel there was something watching him.

Back with Kaiba, his world was still plunged in darkness. The only thing he was able to register was the burning sensation around his wrist. Fortunately, the darkness did not remain as he was able to make out someone calling out his name and shaking his shoulder. With a groan, he opened up his blue eyes, finding his body slumped against a rock and Mokuba sitting next to him still with his hands clung tightly on his shoulder.

"Seto, you finally woke up! I was starting to get worried." the young boy replied in relief.

Kaiba did not reply as he began examining his surroundings. He was only a little surprised to see he had awoken on top of many ledges of a rocky mountain rather than the inside of the pyramid where he had passed out. He easily chalked it up as yet another event caused by ancient Egyptian magic. Shifting his thoughts away from his surroundings, he glanced down at his burning wrist. A small huff escaped his mouth when he saw the white bracelet still firmly latched around his wrist. Out of mere curiosity, he tried to pull the bracelet off.

Unfortunately doing this only increased the burning sensation, prompting him to hiss whilst quickly releasing the jewelry. He still didn't understand why it appeared around his wrist after touching the gauntlet on Mokuba's arm, but one thing he knew for certain was that he wouldn't be able to remove it any time soon. With an annoyed sigh, he finally pushed himself to his feet.

"Seto, can I-" Mokuba spoke up.

"Quiet, Mokuba." the brunette quickly replied in a stern tone, "I need to focus on studying the environment so we can get out of here."

The younger brother nodded his head in understanding, once again admiring how calm his sibling was during all kinds of situations. Respecting the teen's request, he allowed his thoughts to drift to the strange environment they currently resided in. His face twisted in thought as he searched though his memories. The layout seemed strangely familiar to him. Yet he couldn't understand how he could know the layout if he had never stepped foot within the pyramid before. Sadly, before he could ponder any further, a roar filled the air.

The two brothers instantly looked toward the sky, spotting none other than three Winged Dragons, Guardians of the Fortress. The blue dragons let out a fearsome roar before they swooped at the two humans on the ground.  
Acting fast, Kaiba shoved Mokuba out of the way. Unfortunately, he had no time to move as one of the dragons managed to snatch him up in his claws. He clenched his teeth as he felt claws dig into his arms.

"Seto!" Mokuba cried out in worry.

He was about to run toward the dragons, desperate to try anything until he noticed something. From the corner of his gray eyes, he managed to spot a large stone capsule with the number five carved into it. His brows furrowed in confusion; familiarity rushing over him once more. Fortunately it only took him a few seconds to finally realized why everything around him seemed so familiar. Allowing a gasp that was mixture of shock and relief, he quickly dashed over to the capsule. Acting on instinct alone, he pressed his hand wearing the gauntlet against the stone structure. The instant his hand made contact with the stone structure, both it and his white gauntlet began to glow.

Taking a few steps back, Mokuba watched as the capsule shattered, unleashing an orb of light that transformed into none other than a Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Deciding not to question the dragon's presence for the moment, the young boy quickly commanded the creature to attack the three dragons.  
The white dragon let out a fearsome roar, prompting the three dragons to roar back. One of the Winged Dragons swooped toward the Blue-Eyes White Dragon with its claws extended. Fortunately Blue-Eyes was faster as it easily dodged before unleashing its fiery breath. The attack easily made contact with the smaller dragon, causing it to explode into light upon its death.

Acting with swift speed, the fearsome dragon managed to destroy its second opponent, leaving only the remaining Winged Dragon that still held Kaiba in its clutches.  
Kaiba clenched his teeth as he felt the claws dig deeper into his arms along the cold wetness of blood trickling downward from punctured skin. He knew so long as the dragon held him in his grasp, the Blue-Eyes would be unable to attack. With this in mind, he decided to do something risky. Using all his strength, despite the pain from the claws still dug in his arms, he managed to swing his body enough so he could kick the Winged Dragon. The dragon roared in pain, prompting it to release the teen and result in him plummeting toward the ground at top speeds.

"Blue-Eyes, save my brother!" Mokuba commanded in a frantic tone.

The dragon roared in response before diving toward the falling teen. Kaiba struggled to see with his hair whipping around his eyes, trying to see which direction the dragon was coming from. Though before he could finally find out, he felt his wrist began to burn badly. Knowing the bracelet was the cause, he quickly held it in front of his face to see it glowing brightly. He didn't have time to react as, suddenly, both he and Blue-Eyes White Dragon were engulfed in a bright light. When the light faded, much to the CEO's shock, his appearance had changed.

His chest and arms were now adorned in armor in the appearance of Blue-Eyes White Dragon and two large wings had sprouted from his back. Deciding not to question the sudden change, once again chalking it up to Egyptian magic, he gave the wings a test flap. Much to his pleasing, he learned he had easy control of the wings' movement. With this mind, he twisted his body to where he was now facing downward and flapped his new wings. Within seconds, he managed to prevent himself from plummeting any further.

"Seto, how did you even do that?!" the dark-haired boy exclaimed, still stunned he had witnessed the white dragon transform into armor.

"I don't know," Kaiba began, focusing his blue eyes on the remaining Winged Dragon in the sky, "but I think I can get use to this."

Acting on the new instincts now dwelling within him, the brunette willed forth an ball of energy in his hands, much similar in appearance to that of Blue-Eyes' fire breath. His mouth twisted into a victorious smirk as he threw the ball at the dragon, easily destroying it with a single attack. With the battle now over, he landed on the ground and was engulfed in a bright light once more. When the light faded, his appearance was back to normal. Suddenly feeling an onslaught of exhaustion, Kaiba panted as collapsed on his knees.

"Seto, are you okay?" his younger brother asked in a worried tone as he approached him.

"Yeah, I'll survive." he replied, trying to brush off the exhaustion.

After a few deep breaths, the teen finally took note of his hand curled around something. Unfurling his hand, much to his surprise, he has holding a small white orb with blue energy inside of it. What surprised him even more was when Mokuba silently took the orb and placed it in one of the five open slots of his gauntlet.

Silence managed to linger in the air for a few seconds before Mokuba finally spoke up "I guess this means that Blue-Eyes White Dragon will be apart of our team of five. Seto, call me crazy, but I think we're in a real life version of my game Capsule Monsters."


	3. Chapter 3 - Deadly Encounters

Chapter 3

Joey groaned as he slowly came to. His head was throbbing in pain as he struggled to recall past events. When he remembered the events with Brisbane, his brown eyes snapped wide open in panic. Within seconds, the teen managed to find himself in ancient temple. Out of reflex, he tried to move, only to learn his wrists were restrained by large chains hooked to the walls. The teen clenched his teeth out of frustration; giving the chain a few more yanks. Before he could even question where he was, he heard the sound of footsteps. Directing his attention forward, he wasn't surprised in the slightest when he saw Dr. Brisbane approaching him.

"Alright you creep, you got five seconds to tell me where you have taken me and what you've done with my pals." the fifteen year-old threatened, struggling furiously against his bonds.

Brisbane chuckled before he responded "The only time one of my Champions should be worried about the Enemy Commanders is when they're facing them in battle."

Joey didn't even attempt to bit back the furious growl the escaped his mouth.

"Youse got a few gears loose if you think I would fight my friends. Besides, if you needed one of us to be one of your Champions, why not Kaiba? He and Yug have clashed more times than I can count." he bitterly replied.

Much to the teen's anger, he was greeted with yet another laugh. Though that anger quickly was redirected toward himself when the doctor had explained that Kaiba wouldn't have worked simply because Yugi was accustomed to battling with him. Now he understood why Brisbane had asked him if Yugi had to fight against any of his friends; he wanted someone with experience that Yugi would be conflicted on battling. Refusing to allow the older man victory, his brown eyes glared up at him with a smirk was painted on his face.

"You may think you have this all figured out, but let me say this. In the end, Yugi will beat ya, even if he has to go through me to do that." he said in a confident tone.

Upon hearing this, Brisbane simply hummed as he lifted a red gem out of the slot on his gauntlet and placed it in his palm.

"Well see about that, but for now, I think I should prepare you Champion." he said before crushing the gem.

In the instant, a burst of red energy emerged from his gauntlet. It nearly filled the entire room with blinding light until it began to take shape. Within seconds, the light faded away to reveal a large black dragon with red eyes.  
Joey's eyes widened in shock, recognizing the dragon to be the Duel Monster Red-Eyes Black Dragon. His heart pounded in worry when he noticed the dragon direct its gaze toward him. Suddenly, without warning, the dragon roared before dashing toward him. The fifteen year-old hissed when he felt his wrist began to burn, noticing the black bracelet Brisbane has placed on him was glowing.

He only had seconds to glance at Brisbane smirking at him one last time before his body was consumed in a red light along with Red-Eyes. Burning pain coursed throughout his body briefly before, finally, his mind was claimed by darkness; stealing away his thoughts.

Meanwhile, Tea grunted as she opened her blue eyes. She found herself staring up at a blue sky with the sound of waves. Sitting up, she quickly discovered she was laying on her back. Immediately remembering the events in the pyramid, she quickly scanned the shoreline for any sign of her friends. Fortunately, not too far from her, she spotted the unconscious body of Tristan. Worried if he was hurt, she ran over to him and began shaking his body.

"Ugh, five more minutes." Tristan grumbled drowsily.

"Seriously Tristan?!" Tea shouted, exasperated with his response, "Wake up!"

With a firm slap against the head, the pointy-haired teen yelped as he immediately sat up.

"Seriously Tea, you didn't need to do that." he groaned whilst rubbing his head.

The teenage girl rolled her eyes before glancing around at her surroundings once more. Much to her disappointment, she couldn't see anyone else nearby her. She frowned as she took in a deep breath. She could only hope the others were alright; for now, she knew she needed to figure out exactly where she was.

"Let's walk around for a bit, but we need to be careful at the same time." she noted.

Tristan nodded his head in agreement.  
Without another word, they began walking. But as they traversed the beach shores, the two couldn't help but wonder what the others were doing that very moment.

Back with Yugi, he took in deep breaths as he tried to find his way out of the forest. He had been searching for quite a while but didn't see any sign of his missing friends. But as he continued to search, he couldn't rid the feeling of being watched. Growing worried at the sense of danger rising, he stopped in his tracks. Unfortunately, this proved to be a poor decision. The teen's heart nearly stopped when he heard the sound of snarls. Out from the shadows of the woods emerged mangled and decaying wolves.

"Plague Wolves." the tri-colored teen muttered under his breath.

Acting on instinct alone, he quickly took off running. His heart raced as he could hearing the snarling Plague Wolves pursue him. Panicked thoughts filled his mind, leaving the fifteen year-old unsure what to do. Daring to take a glance back, he saw the wolves were growing closer.

Before any more panicking thoughts could befell him, Yami demanded "Yugi, switch places with me! Now!"

Obeying his spiritual companion's wish, he closed his eyes whilst the Millennium Puzzle began to glow. He felt the familiar sensation of disconnect as his spirit was withdrawn into their shared soul, allowing the Pharaoh to take his place.  
Yami opened his eyes and narrowed them in determination. Although he was unsure he could outrun the duel monsters, he had hope that he could at least shelter his partner from any harm.

Though suddenly, his attention was drawn by the gauntlet on his right hand glowing. A hiss of pain escaped his mouth as he felt his left wrist began to burn. Lifting it up to his face to examine it, he now saw a bracelet similar in appearance to that of the gauntlet adorned his wrist.

 _"Just like what happened with Kaiba when he touched Mokuba's gauntlet."_ the spirit mentally noted, _"These gauntlets must be a symbol of a Commander and the Commander has the power to chose Champions. The gauntlet must have sensed that I'm not Yugi and assigned me as one of his Champions. Now the question is, for what purpose?"_

Unfortunately, before he could think any longer, one of the Plague Wolves had caught up and snapped at his heels. The tri-colored teen yelped in pain; his body harshly crashing to the ground. He grunted as he pushed himself to hands and knees, carefully pulling his now injured ankle close to his body. He could see the Plague Wolves encircling him, preparing to attack. Unsure what else to do, he tried to move backwards.

But when did, his hand wielding the gauntlet came in contact with something hard. From the corner of his eye, he could see the gauntlet and the object he had touched began to glow. Yami turned just in time to see a stone capsule shatter and release an orb of light. The orb zoomed out in front of him and transformed into Dark Magician.  
The man clothed in purple narrowed his blue eyes, his grip firm on the staff that began to glow. He slightly glanced back at his master; his gaze silently telling him that he was awaiting his command.

Nodding in understanding, in a stern tone Yami shouted "Dark Magician, attack Plague Wolf!"

The magician obeyed the orders with the swing of his staff, destroying one of the Plague Wolves with a blast of magic. He dispatched each of them as quickly as possible, destroying them one at the time with his staff. But before he could react, a Plague Wolf diagonal to him managed to lung and sink its teeth into his arm.  
The moment this happened, Yami hissed and grabbed in the same place where Dark Magician had been bitten. Glancing his purple eyes to his arm, they widened in shock when he saw blood seeping through his sweater.

Seeing their body was injured, Yugi appeared in spiritual form next to the pharaoh and exclaimed "So not only does this Shadow Game make Duel Monsters real, it also makes us share the damage our monsters take. Does that mean that if our monster falls in battle, we'll die along with it?"

"It's hard to say," Yami replied, glancing back to the battle to see Dark Magician wasn't destroyed by Plague Wolf's attack, "but it's better to be safe than sorry. We're lucky that Dark Magician is too strong to be hurt by these low level monsters."

Without anymore words, the magician managed to destroy the last of the wolves. Silently, he turned toward the fifteen year-old, bowing his head slightly as a sign of loyalty. With that done, he disappeared in a burst of light; transforming into a small white orb with purple energy inside it.  
Immediately taking note of the slots on his gauntlet, he picked up the orb and placed it in one of the slots. With narrowed eyes, his thoughts traveled back to the battle he witnessed and the roles for the Shadow Game. He couldn't explain it, but the entire concept seemed vaguely familiar to him.

Suddenly, his body stiffened when he recalled the game explained back on the jet. Spinning toward Yugi, he could see his mortal companion shared the exact same conclusion. There was no doubt in their minds that the Shadow Game had pulled them all into a real-life version of Capsule Monsters. The pharaoh sighed in relief at this revelation, thankful he and Yugi had been taught the rules, thus preventing confusion from befalling them.  
But the relief was quickly shattered when he sensed a strange aura of panic emitting from his partner.

"Pharaoh, Mokuba only taught us how to play. Tea and Tristan will have no idea of what's going on and since they're not commanders, they'll be left defenseless! We need to find them, now!" Yugi exclaimed.

Knowing the teen was right, Yami quickly continued traversing through the forest. hoping to find his friends before they encountered any trouble.

Back with the Kaiba brothers, the brunette inhaled deeply whilst pinching the bridge of his nose.

"So let me get this straight. You're saying that we been sucked into your childish board game?" he said, not bothering to hide away the annoyance and exhaustion in his voice.

With his arms crossed, Mokuba replied "It's not childish. It takes as much strategy as Duel Monsters, but that's beside the point. The way though dragons attacked and how I got Blue-Eyes, that's how it works in the game. Since it's a chess format, how Monsters can attack depend on their move sets. Some monsters can only directly attack what's in front of them while others can only attack diagonally, it really all depends."

"Well that explains that, but not Blue-Eyes merging with me and turning into armor." Kaiba pointed out with the slightly raised brow, "But I'm just gonna guess it's not part of your game, meaning these additions is caused by that ridiculous Egyptian magic. As if there were ever a time it weren't the source of my problems."

The dark-haired child sighed with the shake of his head. Deciding to change the subject, the young child finally realized he had spotted none of the others, leaving him to ask where they were.  
Kaiba let out a small frustrated huff, as much as he liked not having the others around, he knew the wisest choice would be to regroup with them and find a way out. Annoyed at the entire situation, he turned back toward to the landscape. Easily within seconds, he managed to spot something out of the ordinary. In the distance there was a trail of smoke leading up to the sky. With it being the only indication of direction, he decided to use the smoke as a guide.

Upon seeing how far away the smoke was, "Mokuba groaned before asking "Seto, is there a chance I can bring out Blue-Eyes and have it fly us there?"

With only the sharp glance of his eyes, the young CEO replied "Mokuba, I was connected with it briefly and the process was taxing on both of us. It will be clearly too tired to fly us anywhere. Only reason I'm still moving is because I'm use to pushing through the exhaustion."

The younger brother couldn't help but groan once again, knowing his older sibling was right. Without another word, the two began making their way down the mountain. But unbeknownst to them, the smoke was coming from the beach where Tea and Tristan had awaken.

A few minutes earlier, back at the beach, Tea bit her lip nervously. She couldn't see any sign of her friends. Not only that, but she couldn't find a way off the beach. The way was barred off by tall cliff sides, leaving the two teens trapped. She found herself stirred from her thoughts by the sound of Tristan letting out an exhausted groan. Grunting in frustration, she placed her hands on her hips and leaned down toward the fifteen year-old where she was eye level.

"Tristan, this is no time to take a rest! We need to find the others and we can't do that by staying on this beach!" she exclaimed.

Still exhausted, the teenage boy groaned in reply "But Tea, we've been walking this beach for who knows how long. We've seen no signs of the others and there's clearly no way out with all these cliffs. I say we just sit tight until someone finds us."

"We can't sit tight! Besides, that creep Dr. Brisbane had ahold of Joey before we were all transported here. As much as that dork annoys me at times, I'm worried about him. so no, we're not resting until we find everyone else!" she barked back.

But instead of receiving a reply, she saw Tristan's brown eyes widened and his mouth hung open in fear. At first she thought he was frightened by her rage until she noticed his gaze was focus over her shoulder. Falling silent, she could clearly hear the sound of splashing water and a loud snarl. Growing fearful at what had just emerged from the waters, she slowly and hesitantly turned around.

Once she did, her heart nearly stopped in fear. Towering over them was the giant sea monster known as Amphibian Beast. The duel monster let out a roar before it blasted a stream of water out of its mouth.

"Run!" Tea shouted out she and Tristan took off, barely dodging the attack.

She twisted her head back to see the part of the cliff wall the water had his was crumbling and broken from the impact. If the monster's attack did that to a cliff wall, she didn't want to see what it could do to a human. With this in mind, she only forced herself to run faster.  
The two teens kept running as fast as they could, searching for any kind of escape. But unfortunately, their hopes were shattered when the two found themselves at a dead end consisting of a large piles of rocks.

Tea panicked as Amphibian Beast prepared for another attack. All she could do was squeeze her eyes shut, hoping that her death wouldn't be too painful. But much to her surprise, instead of receiving pain, she heard another roar. Snapping her eyes open, she was greeted with the sight of horned skeletal monster with large wings in front of them. Her eyes couldn't help but widen in surprise; not only at the recognition of the monster being Summoned Skull, but also the fact said monster was protecting them.  
The two monsters roared at each other; their claws unsheathed and ready for battle.

Amphibian Beast swiped its claws at Summoned Skull but the skeletal monster easily dodged. Wasting no time, Summoned Skull slashed its claws across the aquatic beast's back, prompting it to roar in pain. Using all its strength, the duel monster lifted its opponent over its head as it tried to wriggle free. Letting out one last roar, Summoned Skull tossed Amphibian Beast back into the ocean, resulting in it exploding in a burst of light.  
Both Tea and Tristan couldn't believe what they had witnessed. But before they could ask themselves any questions, they saw a rope drop down behind them.

"Kids, up this way!" an elderly voice urged.

"Wait, that voice..." Tea gasped with a pause, "Could it be who I think it is?"

Without any hesitation, Tristan climbed up the rope, followed by Tea. It only took them a minute or so to reach the top of the cliff. Once at the top they found themselves at the feet of a familiar old man with a brown and purple eyes.

"Yugi's grandpa!" the two teens exclaimed.

Both happy and relieved to see the elderly man, Tea tried to run over to hug him. But much to her surprise, Solomon stopped her by holding out his hand.

"It's great to see you, but I'm afraid I can't make any kind of contact." he said before gesturing to the silver gauntlet with green gems on his hand, "It seems I've been tricked into participating in a game where I have been assigned as a commander. If my gauntlet makes contact with you both, you two will be assigned as Champions. Although this world is dangerous, it would be best if you two don't participate in the battles as your life would be directly tied to the duel monsters."

The brunette girl's eyes widened in realization. Immediately her mind recalled back when Kaiba tried to take the gauntlet off of Mokuba's arm and the strange bracelet appeared on his wrist. It was clear to her that the bracelets were the symbols of chosen Champions. Though once she pieced this together, she gasped in horror. Surfacing from the back of her mind, she remembered Joey before they entered the pyramid, unconsciously rubbing at a black bracelet on his wrist. Now she understood why Brisbane had grabbed Joey before they were transported into the Shadow Game.

Knowing her friend was in more danger than he thought, she stated "We need to find Yugi along with Kaiba and Mokuba. Brisbane has Joey and I think he had selected him as one of his Champions."

Solomon's eyes widened in shock before narrowing them in determination. Picking up Summoned Skull's orb and placing it in his gauntlet, he insisted for his two companions to stay close. Worry briefly filled his heart for his grandson and Brisbane's possible plans as he guided them into the forest. If they were to find their missing comrades, the old man knew the best place to search was the central point of the world they now occupied.


End file.
